Prior to being admitted to the ER, I had spent time in a hospital in another country, and the experience was harrowing and traumatic, to say the least. I was basically a human pin cushion, and I'm incredibly hard to get blood from and IVs into. I was covered in bruises from the attempts at the previous hospital, I was feeling bad about myself and my condition, and just really negative about the whole situation.

Shelby greeted me warmly and positively. She was totally transparent with my father and me, who accompanied me to the ER, about every step along the process I underwent, and she was attentive and never left me alone for too long. She was patient and understanding while I cried through attempts from other nurses to draw blood; she laughed at my definitely bad humor, which I was using to cope, and she made me laugh with her own humor and outlook on the whole situation. She was physically gentle with me and emotionally supportive in a way that went above and beyond the typical care a nurse exhibits.

Shelby seemed genuinely interested and attentive to my prior experiences and took them all into account while relaying information to other nurses and the doctor, and every request I made was immediately accommodated, or she immediately consulted the doctor. She will see hundreds, maybe thousands of patients this year, and she won't remember every face, but I will always remember her as the first nurse who really made my whole health debacle not be quite so horrible of an experience. I'm so grateful for her compassion and expertise, because not only did she make me feel safe and heard, but she clearly knew what she was doing from a medical standpoint. At no point did I feel like I was in bad care.